


Ignis

by NidHeddarra



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Blood and Violence, Drinking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, F/F, Fire, Graphic Depictions of Burning, Hallucinations, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Nudity, Partial Nudity, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Smoking, slight suicidal thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:01:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29231979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NidHeddarra/pseuds/NidHeddarra
Summary: You've spent your life keeping to yourself and trying not to make connections. Attachment only ever led to misery.Tired of struggling with your abilities in an over occupied city you found the farthest corner of the world you could and moved there.You didn't expect the Lady of the Castle to take such notice of you.
Relationships: Lady Dimitrescu (Resident Evil)/Reader
Comments: 60
Kudos: 441





	1. Newcomer

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't posted in a very long time. I hope this goes well  
> Also I'm using my phone to post (it's a struggle)

The village was exactly what you were looking for. The locals were all superstitious, and they all hated you on sight. It was perfect.

You'd bought the house on the farthest outskirts of the village. It was empty, falling apart, and nearly fully isolated. The forest was your only companion and that's all you wanted when you moved.

You'd bought the house to rebuild and then stay in. Your building skills were up to the task and your lack of connection to anyone or anything made the isolation more a balm than anything else.

The locals had looked at you like you had two heads when you'd walked to your new abode wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and a graphic short sleeve. Cold didn't exactly bother you as much as it did normal people. 

You glared at anyone who had even attempted to get a good look at you and didn't bother saying anything. 

Its been a month since you moved in and so far you've managed to avoid any full conversation with anyone. All you've learned of the local language is the names for different foods and materials when you needed to go and get them. You knew the town talked about you but it didn't matter. There was no other civilization out for miles and miles. And there was no internet or electricity. 

Today you were going out for your weekly grocery run. Your pack was on your back and your customary black leather gloves were over your hands. It was safer that way. 

Most people got burned if they touched your skin. An unfortunate side effect of your… condition.

The village was quieter than usual when you arrived at the small local market. You adjusted your mask to rest on your nose better and forced yourself to ignore the shiver that went down your spine. There wasn't much out here that could hurt you, being wary was only helpful when it didn't cloud your thinking.

The baker was your first stop. The man was the easiest to deal with. He left your preferred order out in a bag for you to retrieve and you left the required payment in its place before moving on. The same for your milk and the few root vegetables that were native for the area in the next shop over. The butcher was ignored. If you wanted meat you would hunt it yourself. 

You had enough flour and sugar to last for a while longer so with your chore done you started making your way to your own little sanctuary. The weather was pleasant enough for you. The snow and wind felt good against your bare arms despite the lack of visibility it caused.

In the distance you noticed a rather tall form and another smaller one. At first you thought the snow was making you see things but as you got closer you realized it was no trick. In front of the butchers shop was a woman who had to easily be 9 feet tall wearing a white dress, heels of all things, and red lipstick. Her skin was pale enough to seem almost inhuman and her eyes shined golden in a piercing gaze. The smaller form was a young woman wearing all black with a hood covering her blonde hair other than what framed her face. 

Though you said nothing to draw their attention both women turned towards you the moment you were close enough to be heard. You met the glare of the smaller woman with a savage one of your own. She went to bare her teeth at you but stopped the moment a gloved hand was placed atop her head. The action though gentle held a silent warning within.

You let your eyes leave the smaller woman and forced yourself to take another step forward and away from the pair. You were actively ignoring the taller woman for a reason you couldn't figure out.

"You must be the new addition to the village."

You froze and quickly put your clenched fist in your pocket. Keeping your face as blank as you could you looked up at the taller woman. For a moment you weren't sure what exactly to say. The last time you'd had any conversation with anyone had been months ago and that was to seal the deed to the house you bought.

"Yes I am." You didn't let yourself ask for the woman's name. Forming any kind of connection could ruin what you were trying to build here and you didn't want to risk it.

A finely sculpted brow rose up at your short answer. Almost as if the woman was amused. 

"What is your name, pet?" 

Who the fuck called people 'pet' still? 

"None of your concern madame." You kept your tone even and calm not wanting to cause grave offense but also not wanting to invite more conversation. 

The woman shifted, something about her warning you that you needed to tread very carefully.

"Not very friendly are you?"

You closed yourself off completely and tried to breathe through the heat you could feel building in your chest, a warning for worse if you didn't calm down. 

"I've never been given much reason to be friendly unfortunately. I'm sure someone like you can understand."

The smaller snarled at the perceived insult. "What do you mean by that, human?" You noted the interesting word choice silently.

"I mean someone who is different from the rest. Now if you'll excuse me I must be going."

You bowed your head to the taller woman and started back on your trek towards home. With your back to the interesting pair you weren't fully prepared for the harsh and cold hand grabbing at your bare arm. 

The sound of burning flesh filled the air as you whipped around, bag forgotten on the ground. You growled as the smaller woman recoiled with a shout, her hand burned severely.

"Don't fucking touch me!" Heat was rising from your form, skin steaming with the cold of the snow. 

The smaller woman hissed at you showing a pair of menacing fangs. You glared back as the heat inside of you turned to a near inferno melting the snow around your feet. Your whole body was a live wire as you took two forceful steps forward towards the smaller woman threatening you. 

"Now isn't this interesting."

The cool voice brought you back to your senses but unfortunately the damage was done. Your abnormality was nearly on full display and you had no way to hide it. 

Panting lightly you glared up at the taller woman, angry and confused by the entire situation. "What is it you want madame?"

"I want many things pet, but for now I'll settle for your name. It's only fair since you've burned my daughter Daniela's hand." 

She should've kept her hands to her fucking self then shouldn't she? 

Tongue thick in your mouth you make yourself answer. "Ignis. My name is Ignis."

"Lady Alcina Dimitrescu. A pleasure to meet you pet."

Tired, angry, and beyond wary, you picked up your forgotten groceries from the ground and put the pack over one shoulder. 

"Well met. Now please excuse me, I have a lot of work to do."

Lady Dimitrescu said nothing as you hurried away, body wound tighter than a watch. 

Something told you there would be less quiet in your life now that you had been noticed by the main Predator in the area. 

The storm that had been building up since morning came to a head in the night. The wind howled, the trees creaked, and the snow piled on outside in amounts you had never seen in america. Your home was luckily sturdy enough to handle the weather after the work you had been putting into it. 

The fireplace was empty and unlit. A lone candle in the kitchen was your only source of light. A cup of heavily sugared tea sat comfortably in your scarred hands. 

It had taken hours for your body to cool down enough for you to be able to sit inside without worry. Burning your house down was an inconvenience you were not in the mood to deal with. 

Even if burning an entire stack of wet wood between red hot hands had been the way you decided to let go of your stress.

Other than the howling outside, everything was finally blissfully quiet.

You kept thinking about Lady Dimitrescu and Daniela. Both strange and one much too interested in you for you to be comfortable. You knew the villagers in town were scared of the castle that loomed over them. Something about young women disappearing into it and not coming back out.

It sounded like bullshit to you. 

But you existed so the possibility of the castle holding more than was said was very real. 

So long as you were properly left alone it didn't matter. 

You put your mostly empty tea cup on the table and settled down with your blanket for the night. You didn't get much sleep.

__________

Morning arrived sooner than you liked. The snow was piled up outside pretty good but you had work to do so you got dressed and forced yourself out into the winter air. Strong coffee was made over a cooking fire you started in the pit out front as you grabbed the hand saw and your wood. 

It had been quite difficult to keep your lumber dry before repairing the side of the house enough to have a work space. Today you planned on making repairs to the shoddy overhang above the front door. Being snowed in was inconvenient no matter how quickly you were able to melt the snow with enough effort. 

Your control was still shoddy at best and you risked burning down your house each time you used your fire.

The morning passed like normal with you drinking your coffee and eating a simple breakfast when you got hungry enough to eat. Things only got different when you heard someone coming up onto your property.

You were only wearing a sports bra and your jeans, having shedded your shirt long ago after getting too hot. So whoever was coming was about to get quite the view of scars and tattoos.

A familiar hat peaked through the trees alerting you to who your random visitor was. Lady Dimitrescu wearing a deep red cloak that fell above her ankles approached you with a curious look on her regal face.

"Are you not cold? Most of the villagers tend to stay bundled quite heavily during this time of year."

What was she doing here?

"I'm not one of the villagers. What are you doing here madame?" 

Lady Dimitrescu opened her cloak revealing a bottle of wine held in gloved hands. "I wanted to properly apologize for my daughter Daniela. She's quite a handful sometimes though she means well," both of you knew Daniela meant nothing but hostility towards you but you said nothing about that. "I didn't want our first impression to remain such a stressful one. So I brought this as a peace offering."

You weren't sure if accepting it was a good idea, but looking at Lady Dimitrescu she didn't _ seem  _ like she was trying anything. Careful to not touch her hand you took the wine and set it on your workbench. 

"I don't have anything to offer in return unfortunately." Was that what you were supposed to say? "Thank you for your gift madame. No harm was done to me though your daughter was not so lucky. Is her hand alright?"

You couldn't give a fuck less about the little twit but you had to make conversation somehow without causing offense. Lady Dimitrescu smiled showing a canine that was just a touch too pointed to be normal.

"She's quite well I assure you, though your concern is appreciated. Now that wine is just one made by my vineyards. It's best to drink it warmed. In fact it's quite cold out, would you mind if I stayed with you and warmed myself a bit before returning to my home?"

For some unknown reason you felt compelled to play host to this strange woman. Was it because she seemed as different as you felt? Or was it something else? You mentally shook the thoughts away and picked the wine bottle back up. 

"My home isn't much but you are welcome inside to rest, madame."

Your tools set aside for now you opened your front door wide and walked inside. Lady Dimitrescu followed, dipping her impressive form down to enter with practiced ease. You lit your fireplace and the candles you used for light revealing an open living room furnished with a simple wooden bench and a set of chairs. Lady Dimitrescu let you hang her cloak and settled down on the bench.

Despite her size she looked comfortable enough. You had made the bench larger than normal so you could also sleep on it when your insomnia grew bad enough. 

The wood floors shone with polish revealing just how much work you'd been putting to the interior of your home. Lady Dimitrescu looked around with interest and you tried to keep yourself calm. Calm meant cool and cool meant safe.

"I don't have anything to offer to drink other than this wine, are you opposed to day drinking madame?"

Lady Dimitrescu turned towards you. "Please, call me Alcina, pet. And I am never opposed to day drinking."

You retrieved two metal cups from your open cabinets and brought the wine over after opening it. "Alcina, then."

If Alcina had any issue with drinking what looked like the most expensive wine you had ever seen out of a metal cup she didn't show it. Instead she held the cup as if it were a goblet and sipped from it casually. You poured for yourself and tried not to heat the wine too much in your scarred hands. Still the temperature rose enough to be noticed. 

Before anything could be said you took a drink and nearly closed your eyes in bliss from the taste. A hum rumbled from your chest as deep, hearty flavors you had no name for burst across your tongue. You almost didn't want to swallow. Once you did the most comforting warmth spread across your belly and settled inside of you.

"I'm pleased you like it, pet." Indeed Alcina looked like the cat that caught the canary at your reaction. 

"This is amazing."

You noticed Alcina's cup wasn't warm like yours was and decided to allow yourself to open up just a touch. The woman already knew you were abnormal, a small trick wouldn't hurt. 

Topping off her cup you placed your palm against the side and heated the wine to the same temperature as yours. She had said it was good warm after all.

Alcina took her cup back with an appreciative hum. 

"That's quite the little skill you have."

Skill was an interesting way to put it. Curse felt more accurate to you. Alcina zeroed in on your slight grimace. 

"Not a skill then?"

You shrugged and took another sip, reading the name of the wine as you did.  _ Sanguis Virginis;  _ how intriguing.

"Whether it's a skill or a curse I'm stuck with it. And it causes more trouble than it's worth sometimes." 

The wine was making you relax more than you thought you were capable of in front of such an intimidating woman. Alcina let her legs stretch out some and crossed her ankles, owning the space she was in with ease. She looked like she belonged. 

You should be tense right now. You should be acerbic and short and all around unpleasant. Instead you were comfortable and almost happy to have the attention of someone who didn't act like they were going to hurt you. 

"The snow and weather here has been quite the balm for me thankfully."

Alcina gently took your empty cup and refilled it along with hers. You heated both refilled cups without thinking. 

"And why is that dear?"

You could feel a soft flush on your cheeks from the wine. The buzz was helpful in keeping you calm. Especially with the fire roaring in the fireplace beside you. 

"My body tends to stay at a higher temperature than normal on good days. The hotter the weather the more I suffer. Part of the reason I moved here was for the weather. To most it's uninhabitable but to me it's perfect."

Why were you telling her all of this? Why did she make you so comfortable?

"I was downright acidic with you and Daniela yesterday. I have to ask, why the kindness?"

"Because, you were scared and I could tell. And there's something about you that reminds me of myself." Alcina murmured. 

The two of you finished the wine together. Alcina looked much less affected than you but you still managed to speak normally despite the flush you knew was heating your skin down to your chest. Alcina allowed you to retrieve her cloak when she decided to leave. 

You walked her out and let the cold air help sober you up some.

"Thank you Alcina, for the pleasant conversation and your company. I appreciate it greatly." 

Alcina's smile made your belly flutter lightly. She held out a gloved hand to you to shake. 

"Friends then? Or at least, friendly neighbors?"

The reactive panic was swallowed back. You could do this, you could manage one short handshake for this woman who had taken so much time out of her day to make amends with you.

Your heavily scarred hand carefully gripped Alcina's back and shook it once firmly before letting go. 

"Friendly neighbors definitely, with time I would not mind being friends with you."

Alcina seemed pleased at that.

"Until next time then, Ignis."

You tried not to watch Alcina too closely as she left your property. 

You failed miserably.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Ember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did the thing, I managed to finally finish this chapter  
> All mistakes are mine  
> And I both write and post with my phone

______

If anyone ever said working on a roof was simple work, they were wrong. Right now your fingers were all sore, mostly from taking the brunt of a few badly aimed hits. You had a feeling that by the time this very necessary job was done, you were going to be more than a little salty.

The sun was high up in the sky. You hadn't slept at all in two days. The aches and pains in your body, particularly your joints, made your temper short. 

It had taken the entire morning to get even close to the halfway point of this project. Now you were struggling with getting a rather large board up onto the roof. 

This was the third attempt at getting the damn thing up there. Your arms were shaking and your frustration was at its peak. 

"Come on you fucking shit fuck of a board get on the damn roof! Mother fucker!" The board fell for the last time onto the ground with a loud clatter. 

Your arms erupted into blue hot flames and you had just enough time to get away from the house before the flames spread all over you. You collapsed into a snowbank and tried to breathe through the inferno surrounding you. 

The snow melted and hissed as it rapidly turned to steam. There wasn't much you could do to stop it as you tried to crawl deeper into the snow. Your skin felt like it was stretched and paper thin and your teeth ached with how hard you were clenching your jaw. 

A low and drawn out groan left your throat. Episodes like this were brutal. 

_I'll make you burn down this city if it's the last thing I do_

You bashed your head into the ground, frantic and desperate to keep his voice out of your head. He was dead. You killed him, he wasn't coming back.

Eventually your fire settled back beneath your skin, leaving you pink and shivering in the mud and remnants of snow around you. Your clothing had unfortunately turned to nothing but cinders in the wake of your fire. You sighed, breath gusting out of your lips in a large plume. At least you didn't burn your house down.

You forced your body to settle down in a seated position with your knees curled up near your chest. A glare was sent to your unfinished roof. 

It was going to be a while until you could get back to it.

_____

There's a room in your house you go to whenever your head gets too loud. It was the first room you had finished when you moved in. You'd long been accustomed to your endless nights of insomnia; and you knew that it was better to have something to occupy your mind with during the long hours.

The room had no windows, no furniture, and no door. Just a black curtain. You'd painted the walls white to make them into as clean a canvas as you could.

You covered that canvas in anything that came to mind. 

Words that repeated themselves throughout any of your nightmares, scalpels, syringes covered in blood, eyes that still haunted you even so far out in the mountains.

You drew with charcoal, not bothered whenever it covered your hands and arms. The only light you ever provided for yourself was an old oil lantern. 

Tonight you were drawing your hands. You had so many scars, so many old injuries and deep set lines on them. To this day you didn't have any feeling in the skin of your knuckles. Or parts near your wrist.

You could hear animals outside howling and yapping. It added an eerie soundtrack to your feverish sketching. The wall kept shifting and moving under your gaze. A symptom of severe fatigue. Not surprising since you haven't slept at all in about 5 days.

You had a constant low grade headache behind your eyes and your back was tighter than a bowstring. Part of you wondered if you were going to pass out tonight. 

A darker, familiar, part of yourself hoped you wouldn't wake up if you did.

______

The morning air wasn't helpful in waking you up enough to pretend you were functional when you went into the village. Most of the locals looked at you with thinly veiled surprise and a healthy dose of caution.

You had forgone your usual mask for your pipe which you kept clenched in your teeth. The blend you preferred to smoke filling your lungs and leaving your nostrils in great big gusts. You haven't bathed since before you finished your roof. Which had been about two weeks ago if you hadn't lost track of your days yet. 

Not that it would matter. Time was an illusion.

Your clothing looked rumpled, dirty, and you still had charcoal all over your arms and probably your face. Leather gloves covered your hands. A paltry defense against your flame.

You glared with every bit of venom you were full of whenever someone got brave enough to make direct eye contact with you. You just wanted to grab your groceries and fuck off back home.

Feeling like you were walking on the deck of a ship, you forced your body to go to the baker, the produce shop, and then lastly the shoddy liquor store for some much needed vodka. The owner of the liquor store was a grungy old woman with a hunched back that would put Quasimodo to shame. She watched as you grabbed what you wanted and said nothing when you put it on the counter.

"How much?" Your voice sounded like you'd deepthroated sandpaper. Fuck you really needed some fucking sleep.

The woman pulled out a bag filled with… something, and matched your glare. "Take this to castle and you get 2 of that." She said in heavily accented english. 

The castle was a bit of a jaunt away, and you didn't particularly want to go. But two bottles of vodka sounded good. You realized dimly that it wasn't much of a trade.

But you weren't thinking properly if at all about that. You were thinking about passing out after drinking as much vodka as you could. And 2 bottles was better than 1.

"Fine." 

The shop keep put another bottle of vodka on the counter and you stuffed both into your pack before grabbing the package and leaving. There was enough sunlight for you to be able to see the road you needed to get to the castle.

You set off.

The wind made smoking more than what you'd packed into your pipe not worth it unfortunately. Your mood worsened as you stuffed it into your back pocket. Today was shaping up to be total shit. 

You made it to the castle in well enough time. It was an impressive sight. Towers spiked up into the sky with looming power and presence. The grounds were covered in snow but were quite vast around you. 

What put you on edge though, was the total silence pressing down on you like an insidious blanket. You shook off your unease. Your head was probably just messing with you.

Heading up to the massive door you took a hold of the metal knocker and slammed it down 3 times. The sound cracked out like thunder making your ears ring. You hung the package on the hook built into the door and turned to leave for home.

The task was done and you could practically hear your vodka calling your name.

"Going so soon?"

You couldn't hold the flinch back even if you tried. You whipped around and was met with a familiar golden gaze full of amusement. That amusement faded to something foreign to you as Alcina got a good look at you.

"A shopkeep wanted me to deliver a package to you. I figured you weren't home."

Alcina took the package from her door with a slight hum. 

"I must say you look quite unwell, pet. Why don't you take a moment to rest before heading back to your home? It's going to storm soon."

You had no idea if you were stable enough to do that. Not to mention your mood was particularly volatile at the moment.

"I'm not exactly good company right now."

Alcina seemed to grow more intent when you said that, her gaze getting just a touch more intense than before. 

"I must insist, at least allow me to give thanks for the delivery."

There was no way you were getting out of this was there? Your flame felt sluggish inside you, keeping your body warm but not doing much else. For now you could risk it. Even if all you wanted to do was go home and sleep.

You sighed and nodded once. 

"Alright."

Part of you settled when you saw how pleased Alcina looked once you allowed her to usher you inside.

The decor was as impressive as the woman who owned the castle. Deep wood, marble, and crimson carpet all came together in a regal and dark style. A fireplace roared to your right and a staircase wound up to the second level on your left. You had no doubt most of the craftsmanship you saw around you was all by hand. 

"May I take your pack?"

You shakily handed over your bag and watched Alcina hang it up. She motioned you towards one of the ornate couches by the fireplace. You slipped your pipe out of your back pocket and into your jacket before carefully settling your aching body down on one of the seats offered. It was softer than you were expecting.

Alcina sat across from you and rang a small bell. A young woman entered the room and curtsied towards Alcina. She kept her eyes down and said nothing.

"Bring in a tea service."

Another curtsy, a timid "Yes m'lady." And the woman was gone as quick as she'd come. 

Feeling very much like your body was disintegrating you stared into the fire and tried not to let your shakes get too visible. 

You could feel the fire warming the hearth. It was strong, and steady. Could it feel you too? Sense your presence before it? 

Was anything real? 

_You know sometimes I wonder where I went wrong with you._

"You wonder a lot of things that doesn't mean I care about any of it." You muttered silently, lips barely moving.

You pointedly ignored the lab coat you could see out of the corner of your eye. Fatigue brought on hallucinations of the man you didn't want to think about or remember. 

A wave of vertigo hit you very suddenly and you could do nothing but close your eyes and breathe deeply through it. You really needed to fucking sleep.

"How long has it been since you last slept, pet?"

Alcina's voice sounded so close. Almost like she was right in front of you.

"5 or...6 days I think? I've gone longer before. I'll collapse and sleep eventually."

The tea service arrived and was placed on the table in between the couches. Before the maid could do anything else Alcina dismissed her. Your host prepared a cup for you and you took it, thankful for the gloves you had on. 

Being so tired had you paranoid and you didn't want to hold anything with your bare hands. 

"Thank you." 

Alcina smiled. You took a drink without bothering to wait for the beverage to cool. It was a spiced blend and it left your belly feeling warmed. You must be really fatigued if you can actually feel the temperature of the tea.

"How is your home building progressing?"

You shrugged a bit. "I finished the roof repairs, and I've set aside some wood to improve the kitchen with. When the snows thaw enough I plan on making a smokehouse for meat. I'm not sure how to make a greenhouse yet unfortunately. Once I figure it out I'll be able to grow my own food and avoid the village near entirely."

The value that will add to your life will be immeasurable. A large yawn took you suddenly, making your jaw open wide enough to pop. You didn't have enough time to cover it so you didn't bother attempting. 

"Sorry about that." 

Alcina waved your apology away. "Nonsense, after nearly a week of no sleep I don't fault you for the fatigue showing. In fact I'm surprised you were able to get here from the village without any trouble."

You drank more of your tea. It was good, not something you normally drank, but enjoyable all the same.

"I've had sleep issues for as long as I can remember. Functioning at less than full capacity is nothing I'm not used to. The walk here really wasn't too much trouble."

Alcina hummed in response.

Both of you settled into a comfortable silence by the fire. You ended up refilling your cup once before settling back with a surprisingly comfortable warm belly. Alcina watched the fire and you let your eyes drift around, not really seeing anything. 

The calm was nice. You couldn't hear the storm blowing outside, and Alcina's presence had a soothing effect you weren't expecting.

Your head leaned back and you watched the shadows dance on the ornate ceiling. Different shapes formed and dissipated as quick as they came. You were so very comfortable. 

You felt your empty tea cup get taken off of your leg where you had been balancing it. Your eyes closed in a slow blink, only to open to a sea of honey gold. Alcina's face was so close to yours you could smell her spiced scent. It made the tea drastically pale in comparison.

She looked so…"pretty…" your voice trailed off, fatigue taking your ability to talk more than a single word.

Red lips smiled, revealing a set of fangs you could swear weren't human. It didn't matter, they suited Alcina just fine.

"Sleep little ember. You're safe here."

Would it be so bad to let yourself rest under Alcina's care? You couldn't think of any reason not to. 

You let yourself drift away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Capcom owns Resident Evil. I make no money off this. All I own is my tiny little story with my tiny little plot


	3. Hellspawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter flows well, I kind of struggled with this one unfortunately  
> All mistakes are mine since I write and post on my phone rip

The four walls around you are familiar. Covered in blood, soot, and scorch marks, you had called these 4 walls your home ever since you were 9.

You're chained down on your knees and the single lightbulb above you keeps flickering. 

In front of you with his pristine lab coat, messy grey hair, blue eyes, and pale skin stood Dr. Cobalt.

"You know she's going to hurt you, don't you?"

You knew who he was talking about immediately. "I know a lot of things, why is this so important to you?"

Dr. Cobalt crouched down in front of you with a twisted grin on his face. The look had your skin crawling.

"I taught you better than to trust. I taught you a lot of delightful things." A sweaty hand went down your face before wrapping around your neck. You bared your teeth and ignored the smell of burning flesh filling your mouth and nostrils. 

Dr. Cobalt had never been one to care about his own pain. 

"How long do you think she'll last before everything goes to shit?" Dr. Cobalt inquired, his grin somehow twisting into something purely manic.

_______

You woke up with a jolt the moment you registered you weren't alone anymore. A young woman with long, light brown hair, murky green eyes, and a dark dress and cloak combo was sat across from you. She was looking you over with an air of blatant curiosity.

Seems you were the shiny new toy.

"You were talking in your sleep."

You hummed in acknowledgement. You weren't surprised.

"Who's Dr. Cobalt?"

Your eye twitched at the name drop, the only indicator for your discomfort.

"No one I want to talk about right now. Who are you?"

The young woman smirked while pulling her hood down revealing her hair to be braided back functionally. A strange symbol was at her brow but you said nothing about it. 

"I'm Adelina. The eldest Dimitrescu daughter. You're Ignis aren't you?"

You nodded yes. "I am."

Adelina looked you over with more intrigue. You held yourself still and waited for her to say something.

"My mother is quite interested in you. But other than your markings and scars that I can see, you just seem entirely average. Why the interest?"

You shrugged, "I moved here to be a hermit and rebuild a house before dying. I really don't know what's interesting about that."

And your skin burned her sister. But that was old news, right? What Adelina didn't hear from you couldn't hurt her. Technically. Sort of?

Adelina gave you a look that said she knew you weren't telling her everything. She was smart then. You hid the touch of unease you felt stirring in your belly.

"My younger sister Daniela would say otherwise if the state of her hand was anything to go by. Your doing wasn't it?"

"And if it was?" You held no guilt over the matter. Daniela should have kept her hands to herself. 

Adelina grinned. "Then I'd say that makes you very interesting."

You were quite suddenly overwhelmed and overly aware of it. You forced your body up off of the couch and onto your feet. Adelina watched you as you grabbed your bag from the hook it was on.

"Leaving so soon? Not going to say goodbye to my mother?"

Maybe it was her teasing tone, or the look of amusement on her face. Maybe it was the attempt to actually talk to you and know you. Either way you felt yourself hit your mental limit and shut down completely, your face going still as stone.

"I extend my gratitude for allowing me to rest here. But I must be off. Goodnight."

With your bag over your shoulders you swung the heavy metal door open and strode out into the storm.

You didn't allow yourself to look back.

________

The storm kept your temperature in a safer range as you traveled home through it. Your thoughts kept swirling around themselves, each coming back to how you felt before you fell asleep on that couch. 

Alcina had been so patient, and she didn't hurt you when you slept. You were so tired and you still couldn't figure out how Alcina had been able to get you to relax like that.

It left you feeling panicked and fluttery inside. Like your heart was about to leap from your chest and race off into the trees. Why had she been so kind? What was her angle? Did she want something from you?

But what could a woman of her stature even want from you? You were nothing. No family, no tangible history. You didn't even know your last name. All of it having been taken from you during your captivity. 

You reached your home in well enough time and noted that nothing looked out of place. Good, you already had enough on your plate to deal with. Adding the locals to it sounded like a headache and a half.

You stripped down completely once you were inside, the door locked behind you. Your wet clothes were ignored as you stumbled into your kitchen to get a cup and a candle. You pinched the wick of the candle and let your fingertips ignite it before using the light to put your groceries away. Seems they kept just fine while you were at Castle Dimitrescu.

You left one bottle of vodka out and went to your small bathroom to wash up. Your body felt like it was covered in grime as you filled the old tub full of water. You didn't bother with temperature, the water heater was broken. Hissing a touch at the deep chill you coaxed your flame from your chest to your limbs and began washing.

Steam slowly began to rise off of your skin as you lathered yourself up efficiently and scrubbed. The water warmed more and more the longer you stayed in it. You pulled your flame back to your chest where it belonged when the bath was at an acceptable temperature for you. 

After scrubbing every inch of your body until it was a very light pink, and washing your short hair twice, you got out of the tub and let the water drain. 

Feeling much more like a person and less like a greaseball, you dressed in comfortable clothing and retrieved your cup and vodka. 

It was still dark outside. The wind howled like a beast untamed. The darker atmosphere suited your conflicted mood. You opened the vodka and poured yourself a generous amount.

Tonight was going to be long and full of thoughts you had no choice but to handle.

It was nothing new to you.

__________

3 days of pure solitude passed. You spent the time working on the kitchen and sleeping. The snow kept falling outside, piling up in front of your porch and around the windows. You could still get out if you needed, but for now you were content to lose yourself in your work.

When you weren't working or sleeping you were doing what you could to avoid thinking of Alcina and what had happened at her castle. 

Part of you wanted to crawl back up there. For what, you couldn't figure out. To sleep? To feel that strange fluttery feeling you got when you were around the Lady of the castle? 

Loud banging on your front door brought you out of your thoughts and into the present moment. It sounded like a hammer slamming into the wood. You grabbed a set of worn brass knuckles and slid them onto your right hand. Silently you waited to see if the pounding would happen again or if the person would take the hint and leave.

The bangs happened again, this time with a deep and gruff voice attached.

"I know you're in there and I'll not leave until you open your door!" 

Your eyebrow raised in disdain. A man? He was either stupid or brave. Probably both.

Keeping your body posture loose just in case, you opened the door and glared darkly at the intruder.

You had never seen such a mess as the person in front of you. Black stringy hair, deep set beady eyes, a thick mustache and an even thicker beard streaked with grey. The man was wearing all brown leathers in the style of an older hunter. The cloak around his shoulders was fur and in his hand was a large wooden crossbow.

Who the fuck still used crossbows?

"You can do as you're told, good. Now I've been-"

"What the _fuck_ did you just say to me old man? _"_ You interrupted the idiot with a snarl on your face. Who the fuck did this man think he was? 

He jolted to a stop from what you guessed was going to be a very long winded tirade. He gaped like a fish for a moment before standing up to his full height in a bid to look impressive.

Your snarl turned to open scorn at the childish display. The flame in your chest stirred threateningly.

"I am John Williams of the Williams Hunters Line and I demand you let me in out of this storm this instant."

A low chuckle rumbled in your chest. Like hell you were letting this nightmare of a person into your home. Especially with the elaborate cross you could see hanging on a silver chain around his thick neck.

"You are not welcome here. Leave."

Your body felt like an open flame, your voice sounded like ice. 

Williams growled, his yellowed teeth gnashing together loud enough for you to hear it.

"You know not of my holy mission child. I assure you I am here to help your battered village and rid it of the _filth_ that resides up in that castle. But this storm is strong and I must rest. Now let me in!"

Your right hand whipped out, cracking Williams across the face and busting his upper lip open. Flames openly licked your arms as your temper snapped. 

Williams stumbled back out into the snow, unprepared for such a visceral display of your hatred and brutality.

You followed and delivered another two hits, fists held tight. You could feel your heartbeat in your ears now.

Williams got a good look at you and you watched the fear fill his eyes, along with something else entirely. Something that made you tense and pause. 

"You're a demon! A demon straight from hell to guard the beasts in the castle! Hellspawn!" Williams spat on the ground at your feet. His face twisted into such a look of disgust it almost made him look feral.

You flared your fire out so it surrounded you in a circle. The snow melted rapidly, leaving you to stand in dry dirt. The roaring in your ears was now out and around your body. Your arms rose up high and you let Williams get a good look at your inhuman ability.

Let the zealot see his demise before you killed him.

Williams brought his crossbow up with a war cry. He was covered in flames the moment he moved. Williams frantically fell to the ground and rolled in a bid to stop the fire from consuming him. His screams were pitched high and desperate. They beat against your ears as his body cried out for mercy.

But you were hungry for the violence and this fool had come into your territory as if he owned the place. Most importantly, he threatened Alcina and her kin. 

You wrapped your hand around his throat and ignored the squish of overly burnt skin giving way under your grip. 

William's eyes rolled in terror before latching onto your face. That's all you had been waiting for. With a shark like grin you let your power consume the man. A bright flash erupted in front of your eyes as what was once flesh and blood turned to bones, and then finally to ash.

Panting from the adrenaline rush you took a moment to simply exist in the pain of your flare. Your joints ached, your teeth throbbed in time with your heart beat, and your skin felt like it was covered in ants.

With great effort you brought your flame back inside of you and felt it settle in your chest. The rush of killing Williams felt like you had stretched a muscle you hadn't used in a long time.

You stayed outside until your temperature was safe enough to go inside. When the snow falling onto your near bare body was able to actually touch your skin before melting you let yourself get up. You waited for your vision to stop swimming before moving.

Unbothered by the scorched spots left in your yard, you went back inside and locked your door behind yourself. As you removed the very small, very charred, remains of your clothing you realized something.

Williams had said he was part of a 'hunting line'. Which regardless of what 'hunting line' specifically meant, you could deduce that he was part of an organization of some kind. And he knew about and believed the rumours surrounding Castle Dimitrescu. 

A loud groan left your lips as you realized what that meant for you.

There were multiple hunters. And more of them would most likely be coming once they realized Williams was dead. 

Fuck.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments and the kudos! I'm very grateful that my little story is being read, and I'm very thankful for the feedback.  
> I know this chapter doesn't have much of Lady Dimitrescu but I hope it's enough to keep this story flowing where I want it to. And next chapter will have more of our favorite tall vampire.  
> Until next time!  
> -NidHedarra


	4. Will You Stay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter like 7 times so I'm sorry about the wait. I just finished it too so this is hot off the press. All mistakes are mine. Also I think this is one of the longest chapters I've ever posted. 
> 
> I really hope y'all like it

__________

The sun is high up in the sky today as you work on the roof of your house. You had the frame up for a little alcove, now you were just adding the roof to it. 

Or at least you were attempting to. The damn thing was being stubborn and you had a feeling any future projects involving your roof were going to be tricky. Probably because of your shit luck.

A brown bottle of beer was sitting precariously on a support beam inside the house near your reach. You'd only gone through about 2 so far so you weren't quite buzzed yet. 

Normally you would be smoking but you couldn't find your pipe so that was out. Maybe later you'd go up to Castle Dimitrescu and see if it was there. You hoped it was there, carving another one to your picky smoking standards would be a bitch. 

A soft knock at your door had you pausing your work. Was someone at your door? Another knock sounded, this time just a touch louder than the first. 

"Just a sec!" You climbed down the ladder inside your house and went to the door. You were pleasantly surprised to see a young woman at your door instead of another Hunter. 

She wore all black, and had long pale blonde hair braided intricately. Her features were a touch delicate but you got the impression she was much stronger than she looked. Warm brown eyes looked at you with a bit of interest. 

"Are you wearing Adelina's cloak?"

The young woman smirked and nodded before handing you a letter and motioning for you to open it. Intrigued, you did so. 

**_Pet,_ **

**_It seems in your haste to leave the other night you left your smoking pipe here at the Castle. I've sent along my second born Sonia to invite you to dinner this evening. At 6pm I'll be sending a carriage along to pick both you and my daughter up. Play nice little ember._ **

**_Ps. Sonia is selectively mute, but she understands just fine. I have a feeling you two will get along well._ **

You looked back up at Sonia. "She sent you to make sure I would come didn't she?"

Sonia gave you a rather amused and mischievous look in reply. Yeah that seemed accurate.

"Alright. Well come in then, sit wherever you'd like. I'm in the process of building something right now so I'll be getting back to it." 

Sonia followed you inside and looked around in curiosity. You didn't bother worrying about whether she was bored or not. She seemed content enough with exploring your living room.

Trying not to feel too awkward with a silent… companion? You got back to work on the alcove. 

From the corner of your eye you watched Sonia stretch out on your bench and watch you work. 

You went back to measuring while trying to push away the awkward feeling building in your chest. The vibes just seemed weird. 

You cracked when your hammer sounded too loud.

"Alright fuck this, you see that record player over there? You mind picking an album and putting it on?" 

Sonia looked way too damn smug while going over to the side table that held your old record player. You listened to her rustling through your little collection before finding something and putting it on.

Fleetwood Mac started playing and you felt the awkwardness melt away at the look of surprised delight on Sonia's face. 

"Nice choice! Now, you wanna help me build?" The grin you got in reply was as good a yes as any.

The time passed much easier with your silent companion handing you different tools when needed and putting on different records when the one playing finished. You didn't sing along to any songs, way too shy for that, but Sonia tapped her fingers to the beat whenever something faster played. 

Alcina was right in assuming you would get along well with Sonia. 

It was about 5pm when you both finished the alcove. 

"You were a fantastic help Sonia, thank you." Sonia looked up from your shelf of records and nodded. Part of you wondered about the non speaking but not enough to put any actual thought into it. If she preferred silence then she preferred silence.

Not having to worry about any questions pertaining to your past was also a plus. 

Now you just needed to get into clothing that wasn't covered in wood splinters and beer. A shower might also be a good idea too actually.

"I'm going to go get cleaned up and into clean clothes. You're welcome to the living room and kitchen, go crazy with the records if you get bored." 

You went down the hall towards your room and went in to grab something with long sleeves and a pair of leather gloves. In the living room you could hear Sonia putting on classical and huffed a small laugh when the volume was turned up some. 

You packed a leather pouch full of your preferred leaf into your day backpack, along with your customary roll of bandages and an extra pair of gloves. With that done you went and took an extra cold shower to make sure you wouldn't be too overheated before going to Dimitrescu Castle. 

As you prepared you could hear Sonia going through your little music collection. The records and the player had been a rare indulgence on your part. You'd found it in a small thrift shop in america and bought it on a whim. 

Now here you were, listening to a young woman having fun discovering what it was you liked to listen to. You had a feeling that the village was the only opportunity to interact with people the Dimitrescu family had. And since most of the village was either superstitious, or plain nasty in general, those interactions had to be awful.

Maybe Alcina and her daughters were just as wary as you with strangers. 

You weren't sure how you felt about that hypothesis.

You left your room with your bag over your shoulder like usual. Sonia looked you over with interest before nodding in what seemed to be approval. 

"I'm glad you like it. It's just about 6pm, do you want to wait outside?"

A small hum of agreement had you responding in kind. With your records and record player put away neatly you and Sonia left the house and you locked it securely behind you.

There was enough of a chill in the air for you to feel it in your fingertips. Sonia put her hood up just as a large carriage pulled by an equally large horse arrived. Gothic in style, the carriage was a sleek black and large enough to fit Lady Dimitrescu if you had to guess. 

Each bit of design, be it around the wheels or the door, held a story of tragedy. You weren't sure how, but the broken wings, the wolves, and the monsters twisting in on themselves had something inside you settle. 

And yet, despite the grandiose of the Carriage and even the horse, there wasn't a single driver to be found.

Sonia climbed up and opened the door without any pause so you decided not to question it and followed suit. The moment the door snicked shut, the carriage was off. 

The inside of the carriage had deep red velvet curtains covering the windows. The seats were just as black as the outside and you felt short as you realized your feet didn't quite touch the floor. Neither did Sonia's. 

Sonia took your bag and lifted the seat she had been sitting on, revealing a large compartment underneath it. She put your bag inside before closing it and sitting back down beside you.

Her contentment in the space was infectious and you wondered if Alcina sent her to spend time with you so you weren't so nervous. Would Alcina actually think of that when inviting you over for dinner?

Considering who it was you were wondering over you decided that yes she would. 

A howl rang through the night and you noticed Sonia tensed beside you. You took a deep breath and tried to stay calm despite your companions' silent nerves. Another howl rang out, this one much closer than the last. Sonia stood and angled her head some to listen. 

You waited, the tension in the carriage became a tangible thing in the air. 

A loud crash to your right was all the warning you received before the carriage was slammed into with the force of a bus. Both you and Sonia were tossed into the air and slammed into the side of the carriage as it toppled over off the road and into the ground. 

You felt pain explode out from the left side of your head as you hit it on the window of the door breaking the glass. Your vision doubled for a moment and you blinked frantically to clear it. 

You heard Sonia hiss through her teeth and saw her clutching her side once your vision cleared. 

Outside the carriage you could hear the horse screaming as it tried to fight whatever had attacked the carriage off. Your heart was pounding in your ears as adrenaline kicked in from fight or flight. 

The carriage was on its side leaving only the door above you as your way out. You couldn't risk letting your fire out in here, not with Sonia so close. 

You realized suddenly, that the horse was no longer screaming, and it was way too quiet.

Ominous creaking above you had you and Sonia looking up, tense and silent. Slow, heavy, footsteps stalked closer to the door of the carriage.

Whatever it was that was up there, was playing with you. You were not pleased. 

Even with both you and Sonia fully aware and waiting, nothing could have prepared you for the explosion of glass as an impossibly large, fur covered, clawed hand reached down and swiped at you. Sonia pushed you out of the way and immediately suffered for it as her side was torn into.

The young woman cried out in pain when she was thrown off her feet and into the seat. You were moving before you could think about it.

You felt the wind in your hair as the claws swiping for you just barely missed. With no time to lose you grabbed Sonia and enclosed her into the compartment with your bag. "Don't come out!" You warned before you were being grabbed and ripped from the carriage.

Everything blurred into a mess of colors as your body whirled through the air and into the snow. You didn't feel the impact, consumed instead by pure blue flame from head to toe.

You got to your feet and felt the air in your lungs turn thin as you finally got a good look at what had attacked the carriage.

It was a beast, taller and wider than anything you had seen. A mix between wolf and man, standing on two legs and covered in fur and blood from the dead horse. Its maw was open and full of fangs that you knew were very capable of tearing you apart.

With no other explanation available you concluded that the beast was a werewolf.

You needed to get it away from the carriage. You needed it to focus on you.

"Are you going to just stand there or are you going to come at me?"

The werewolf growled viciously at you and you bared your teeth right back. 

The werewolf charged you. 

Even your abilities had limits and matching such inhuman speed was one of them. You braced yourself for the pain as you were once again thrown off of your feet and into a tree. The tree cracked under the force of your impact and you knew instantly that getting close enough to burn this beast was going to be a mess. 

Still you had to try.

The werewolf was slowly stalking back to the carriage, seemingly bored with you and more interested in the prey inside. You took advantage and ran forward before latching onto the left hind leg.

The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the beast whimpered and whined from the pain of your flame. You pushed your flame out and immediately regretted it as it got too close to the carriage for comfort.

With fire running up its leg the beast contorted back towards you and sank its teeth desperately into your left thigh. 

You screamed through your clenched teeth and forced yourself to pull your flames back towards your body instead of the surrounding area. The werewolf managed to pull you hard enough that you lost your grip and was flung into the top of the carriage. 

Panic filled you as your flames licked at the splintered wood and bloody snow around you. Sonia was so fucking close to you, you couldn't stay here.

Blood ran down your bare leg and face, dropping to the snow covered ground with ominous hisses. You heaved yourself to your feet and stumbled away from the carriage towards the werewolf rolling itself in the snow.

It was trying to put out the fire taking over its bottom half and arm. You could see its snout and mouth were severely burned. 

Sturdy fucker wasn't it?

Desperate to end this hunt you charged forward with a roar and latched yourself onto the large back of the beast. The moment your full body came in contact with its fur the victor of the fight was decided.

Desperate to escape the agony of burning to death the beast tried to fling you from its back but you held on. Your body was a livewire and you pushed that into the nightmare below you. 

A sharp ringing filled your ears and there was a wetness at your nose as you put everything you had into burning the beast into nothing but ash. 

Black was starting to fill your vision and you felt a muted pain in your side and back. Dimly you recognized that the beast had somehow managed to scratch you. Still you held on, feeling the burned flesh beneath you giving way wetly. Your nose was filled with the smell of iron and overcooked flesh.

In a disorienting whirl of sound and color you found yourself on your side in the snow with the beast dead in front of you. It wasn't ash, but it still burned and was completely limp. That was enough for you.

You struggled to your hands and knees with a wet gurgle. Your mouth filled with saliva, the only warning before you were vomiting everything but your soul into the bloody ground in front of you. The ringing in your ears had become a constant and as you emptied your shaking husk of a body you became aware of the other pains plaguing you. 

Your thigh and back ached with a sharp intensity. The skin near the wounds felt like it was being stung by thousands of tiny, angry wasps. Your skin was light pink and covered in a ridiculous amount of blood, there were other lacerations and bruises but none you considered immediately life threatening. 

When you were able to get to your feet you had to wait for your head to stop spinning. Your fire was gone, spent on killing the thing that had killed the horse and tried to kill you and Sonia. You could feel it in your chest coiling on itself, unstable and volatile.

Sonia. Fuck she was still in the carriage. How long had it been?

Barely avoiding your puddle of sick you forced your body to obey and went to the wreckage. Scorch marks near the carriage made you infinitely grateful that you'd gotten far enough away before anything bad could happen. 

There was a solid crack on the roof of the carriage where your body had been thrown into it. You used that crack to your advantage now and broke through using your bruised shoulder. Light from the burning beast behind you aided you as your hands fumbled the seat compartment open.

Your heart leapt into your throat as you got a good look at Sonia. She didn't look good at all. 

Dark veins of black were climbing up her throat to her face. Eyes once brown were now completely red and weeping black in thick tears down pale cheeks. Sonia's body trembled and shivered and blood coated her side. Something was very, very, wrong and you knew you needed to get her to Alcina as soon as possible.

But first you needed to stop the bleeding. "Sonia I need you to trust me okay? Your injury is bleeding and I need to wrap it. I'm going to pull you out okay? It's safe I got you." 

Being extremely careful to only touch cloth, you pulled Sonia out and leaned her up against the carriage side. She groaned low in her throat at the pain and you winced in sympathy. Not wasting any time, you grabbed your gloves from your bag and put them on before pulling out the roll of bandages.

You didn't give Sonia a chance to struggle and ripped her dress away from her wound. The smell of rot flooded your nose and you clamped down on your flames and panic. A wound this fresh should not smell like that. 

Three claws had managed to gore into Sonia's side over her ribs. They were deep and the skin around them was dark purple. More veins of black were branching out over Sonia's chest. You forced yourself to act and wrapped the young woman up damn near like a mummy. 

Once done you used the very last bit of bandage on your thigh for the bite before tying it off tightly. You knew you were going to have to carry Sonia but your skin was still way too damn hot and you didn't have any spare clothes. 

Looking at your surroundings your eyes settled on the long drapes hanging haphazardly near you. That would have to do. 

You ripped the set of drapes from the remains of the window and tied them around your chest in a desperate attempt at a toga. Sonia watched with a glazed look to her eyes. With your shoulders and bloody back covered you put your backpack on Sonia and then extended the straps.

"Sonia I need you to listen to me because this is very important. I am going to carry you to the castle on my back. You cannot under any circumstances touch my bare skin do you understand? You can get burned and I don't want that happening. Blink once if you understand me." Sonia blinked once and you nodded back. "Try to stay awake for me okay?"

You put your injured back to Sonia's front and put your arms through the straps of your backpack. Sonia wrapped her arms limply over your shoulders as you tightened the straps as much as you possibly could. You grabbed the barely used hip straps and clipped them over your hips before tightening them just as tight as the others.

Now that you'd turned Sonia into a human backpack it was time for you to get onto your feet. You couldn't tell who was in more pain as you gripped the carriage and got to your feet. Your back practically _ screamed  _ from the pressure placed on the still weeping wounds.

Sonia gripped the cloth around your chest as you started limping away from the wreckage and towards Castle Dimitrescu. You hoped beyond anything that Alcina would know how to help Sonia. 

The farther away from the wreckage you got the harder it was to keep your flames in check. The pain from your wounds and the added fatigue and overall ache in your bones from using your abilities had you feeling very unstable.

Your leg bled through the bandage but you soldiered on, keeping your pace as fast as you could physically handle. Sonia's head lolled against your shoulder every now and then as she struggled to stay conscious. 

_ Do you remember the last time you felt like this? All covered in gore and blood, your bones aching, nose bleeding like it is now? _

You kept your eyes forward and away from the haunting lab coat and sickly smile. Dr. Cobalt watched you suffer from the trees with a manic look in his eyes. 

He wasn't real. Sonia was real, your wounds were real, the snow was real. The man who was long dead and taunting you was not real.

Vertigo washed over you suddenly and you gripped onto the nearest tree, desperate to stay on your feet. Sonia whimpered into your back and you couldn't hold in your sympathetic shudder. She was getting worse.

You stumbled forward and ignored the ringing in your ears as it grew louder. Your breath left you in great heaving gasps. 

Dr. Cobalt flitted around the edges of your vision, taunting you in your weakened state. 

_ It's funny watching you struggle to not burn the little bird on your back when she wouldn't extend the same courtesy. Do you think she's wondering how long it will take for you to give up like I am?  _

Castle Dimitrescu came into view and you could've sobbed from the relief. 

"Sonia we made it." No response. Ice clutched your heart in a vice. "Sonia?" The young woman was limp against you. 

Your flame twisted and churned in your belly and chest as you flung your battered body into the gates. You could see the castle doors opening and someone running towards you faster than humanly possible. 

You sank to your knees and fumbled open the straps from your pack open. You needed to get away from Sonia, you could practically hear the fire in your body clawing its way out of you. 

The moment Sonia was on the ground you were diving away and into the nearest snow bank. 

You'd been holding your flare back for Sonia's safety but it would be denied no longer. You saw white as pure, overwhelming, all encompassing heat exploded out of your chest. A scream from your bloody, raw, lips reached out to the heavens as you wordlessly begged for mercy from the utter agony. 

There was no respite. 

The pain of your wounds was nothing to the misery that had been written in the very marrow of your bones. 

Your awareness left you for a time as your body writhed around in the scorched ground beneath you. 

You came back to yourself in pieces. First you felt throbbing in your fingertips, then repetitive sharp pain in your back. There was dripping near your face and ears. 

Trying to get up proved to be fruitless and a very big mistake as the wounds on your back twinged painfully. 

Unable to get up you worked on getting your eyes to open. You expected to meet an all too familiar icy gaze. Instead you saw glowing golden eyes framed by divine alabaster skin. Alcina was on her knees in front of you. 

She was silent and staring at you with an intensity you'd never experienced before. 

Your body shuddered from head to toe and you whimpered. As if spurred by the sound Alcina leaned forward and set something heavy over your battered form.

Was it leather? 

Gentle hands picked you up from the ground and swaddled you before you were resting bridle style in Alcina's arms. The movement proved to be too much and you found the black consuming you into comforting oblivion.

____________

Someone was screaming. You couldn't tell who, could barely hear it. But you knew it was happening near you. And they sounded broken.

Your mind was wrapped in a thick fog. You couldn't tell if you were floating or on the ground. Could barely feel your body at all.

The scream sounded out again and you pushed against the fog surrounding you. You wanted to open your eyes and see who it was. 

But where were your eyes? Where was your body? Your mind? 

Something soothing and cold trailed down your face and you sunk back under.

_________

It's hot. It's hot and you can't get out or away. Your head is throbbing and the fog you're stuck in feels menacing instead of comforting.

You try to cry out for help, unable to move or even open your eyes. No one answers. Pain pushes down on your shaking form and you can feel your teeth clicking against each other from the force of your movement.

What was going on?

In the distance you heard someone singing. You focused in on it and settled. Wherever you were the person carrying that tune could sing and it was immensely comforting.

You sank back down into sleep.

___________

  
  


"I'm not interested in listening to your excuses, Heisenberg. I've told you what I want and I expect it to be done."

The voice was close to you. Your body was resting in a small amount of lukewarm water, and you could hear the rustle of movement behind you. 

The fog was thinner this time, and so you pushed against it as hard as you could until you were able to crack open your eyes just enough to blurrily see. Your head was being cradled in a large hand, and another was dripping water down your bruised form. 

Above you was alabaster skin and a familiar jawline. You tried to say something, anything, but only a small sound escaped your lethargic lips. 

Golden eyes filled your blurry view and you found yourself sinking back down.

"Not yet little ember. You can't wake up yet. Rest now, you're safe I promise you." 

You stubbornly held on, wanting to stay but you ultimately lost the battle with the fog and the comforting voice surrounding you.

"Sleep Ignis. I promise your light won't go out."

___________

"Mother is worried sick about you and Sonia. Our Uncle is being run ragged to get the medicinal herbs needed to treat your wounds."

You were on something soft. Your body ached, but the fog held most of the pain at bay. You didn't feel any urgency to do anything other than exist in the moment. 

"Mother got so worried when you and Sonia didn't show up on time. She was sending us out when you showed up at the gates covered in blood and bare as the day you were born."

You remembered that dimly. The pain and the fear that you wouldn't make it. The fog kept most of it at bay for now and you were content to let it.

"I think Mother likes you. Don't tell her I said that. But I've never seen her so protective of anyone other than my sister's and I. Your quick thinking saved my sister's life and we owe you. I have a feeling Mother is going to ask you to stay while you recover."

There was a comfortable silence for a while and you let yourself drift in it. 

"When you wake I hope you say yes."

You were so close to sleep. As you let the fog cradle your tired form you tried to hold onto those last words, whispered into your ears like a secret in need of protection.

___________

Waking up felt like coming up for air after being underwater for a long time. One moment you were stuck in a thick fog and the next you were opening your eyes and trying to figure out where exactly it was you were. 

You weren't panicked or nervous. Just hungry and a touch groggy. A bitter taste in your mouth had you smacking your lips some before you started to look around. 

Looking around you realized you were in a stone room with a window to your right and a fireplace to your left. You were on a bed with a thick and soft comforter and the silkiest sheets you'd ever encountered. Your body was completely bare but you didn't care. Nudity had long since lost any of its novelty after you were stuck with your abilities.

The bedside table beside you held a bowl with water and a cloth. Also a book with no title and some fresh bandages. There was a chair set near the fireplace and another lone seat close to your bedside. 

You slowly tried to sit up and found it easier than you were expecting. Your back still twinged warningly and there was a deep ache in your thigh, but your head was clear and you didn't feel too out of sorts.

Your hand settled on your scarred chest and you noticed that your fire was calm inside of you. Almost like it was content to just exist within you. There was a slight sluggish feeling to it that let you know your last flare had taken a lot out of you. 

You had a feeling you were going to have to be careful with yourself for a bit.

The sound of footsteps had you turning towards the door to see Alcina entering the room with a tray in her hand. She saw you and a tension you hadn't noticed at first seemed to fall from the woman's shoulders. There was a peaky look to her that told you Alcina probably hadn't slept in a while. 

"You're awake, good I was hoping you would be after I left."

"How's Sonia?" You asked, eager to find out if you'd made it in time. 

Alcina came forward and sat down beside the bed. She placed the tray on your lap and lifted the lid revealing some broth and a bit of bread. Your mouth watered at the sight and you carefully began to eat. The spoon in your hand only shook a touch but you paid it no mind.

"She's well, almost recovered fully. How much do you remember?"

You took a second to think while you ate. There was a lot jumbled up in your memory.

"I remember the flare I had, and getting to the gates. Someone singing to me? water, and I think someone talking to me? It's a bit of a jumbled mess unfortunately." You also remember feeling very safe and cared for. "I know I was safe though. Despite the fog my mind was stuck in."

Alcina looked pleased to hear that. 

"That's more than I expected considering how bad your condition was. You've been out for almost two weeks."

It was a good thing you had finished the broth because you damn near choked on nothing hearing that. Two weeks was a fuckton of time. 

Wait. 

"Are you telling me you cared for me while I was out for that entire time?"

Alcina looked at you with that quiet intensity that you'd come to find comforting. "You protected my child and saved her from a very painful death. I was not going to allow you to succumb to your own wounds. Not when you'd shed your own blood for my little one."

It was humbling to realize that Alcina had been stretching her efforts between you and Sonia. 

"You're so kind. I don't know how to thank you for such good care." You said, just a touch overwhelmed by the generosity that had been given.

A gloved hand was very carefully set over your blanket covered knee. Your heart fluttered at the gentle contact.

"Thank me by staying here with me, and letting me care for you until you are fully well. You won't have to worry about anything other than recovering. I know you're a solitary type, but I promise you nothing will harm you in my home."

And how could you say no to that? Alcina had done so much. Just the fact that you were alive had you realizing that maybe it would be okay to try to connect with the woman who had come into your lonely life. 

Alcina had already opened the door for you. Now you just needed to let yourself make that first step.

Hand shaking some you slowly put it over Alcina's. Your fire stayed calm and allowed the action. You made your decision the moment Alcina's gloved thumb started rubbing gentle circles into the scars on your knuckles.

"I'll stay."

You basked in the smile Alcina bestowed upon you.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all's comments have really been amazing to read. I see each one and I went back to reread them when I needed motivation to keep writing. Thank you so much for reading my story.
> 
> (Disclaimer: Capcom owns Resident Evil and everything that goes with Resident Evil. I just have my tiny little plot and my tiny little character.)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own resident evil or anything that goes with resident evil. Capcom owns it. I'm not making any money off of this. The only thing that's mine is my plot and character.


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